UPDATE: on 4LAKids story on Arlene Ackerman being removed as superintendent in Philadelphia

by smf for 4LAKidsNews

29 Aug: Yesterday 4LKids reported:

“Superintendent Arlene Ackerman was tossed out of Philly Monday over a disagreement over which charter operator should 'transform' the underperforming high school […] Ackerman, formerly chief of San Francisco and D.C. Schools, also contended with the appointed school reform commission over closing-down Philly’s Full-Day-K program: She was for keeping it open; they were again' it. Of course Ackerman secured a $500,000 golden parachute from the school district – plus another $405k in anonymous private money. That’s close enough to a million to be labeled a “Million Dollar Bye-Bye Buyout.”

Today The Notebook (which is like 4LAKids, only more so) reports:

Notes from the news, Aug. 29 Submitted by Erika Owens on Mon, 08/29/2011 - 09:32 Posted in Notes from the news | Permalink

State senators take aim at SRC, favoring an elected board Daily News
State Sen. Michael Stack introduced a bill to abolish the SRC.

See also: Critics question oversight of Philadelphia schools AP via Houston Chronicle
DN Editorial: A primer on problems with an elected school board Daily News
An elected school board? We vote no. It's Our Money
Something Rotten in Dauphin Annethensome blog

Karen Heller: Again, politics trumps education in Phila. The Inquirer
Ackerman says her error was to not play politics as superintendent.

See also: Inquirer Editorial: Looking ahead at city schools The Inquirer
Ackerman’s Criticism Of School Officials May Cost Her CBS Philly
Ackerman epilogue to be written Daily News (opinion)
Ackerman’s ouster shows public school bosses need to know three “R’s” plus one “p”….politics! Philadelphia Sun
Philadelphia public schools, after Arlene Ackerman Radio Times

Three up, three down - superintendent-saviors falter in Philly WHYY/NewsWorks
A look back at Philly's last three superintendents

smf notes: Note how the powers-that-currently-be, whom we can call reformers or advocates for the status quo (or the privateers of public education --  and Dr. Ackerman is hoist on her own petard)  align themselves against democracy [A primer on problems with an elected school board; An elected school board? We vote no.]

I am am ambivalent enough to agree with both Twain [“First God made idiots. That was for practice. Then He made school boards.”]  and Churchill [“It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.”].